News: Girls Night In Book Signing in Glasgow

Continue reading News: Girls Night In Book Signing in Glasgow

Guest Post: Luisa's Thoughts

Today I am delighted to share with you a guest post from amazing author and great blogger friend, Luisa Plaja! We're actually really lucky to have something from Luisa, as around the time she wrote this, she was battling to meet a deadline and it looked unlikely that she would be able to find the time to get something written. But Luisa is a trooper and, being a huge supporter of BI&SP Month, squeezed in some time to write this amazing post for us. Thank you so much for being a star, Luisa!

My Thoughts for Body Image and Self-Perception Month
by Luisa Plaja, author of Split by a Kiss, Extreme Kissing and Swapped by a Kiss, editor of Chicklish

When I heard that Once Upon a Bookcase was considering a Body Image and Self-Perception themed month and was looking for book recommendations, my thoughts turned immediately to one of my all-time favourite YA novels: Second Star to the Right by Deborah Hautzig. I first read this book after it was published in 1981, when I wasn’t yet a teenager myself. At the time, not very many people at my school had heard of anorexia, but it crept into our vocabulary and into our conscience over the next few years, as we grew - or didn't grow - and started to criticise our own, and each other's, bodies. Constantly.

Second Star to the Right stayed with me and had a profound effect on me, and I went on to volunteer for a charity called Anorexic Aid in the summer I turned 16. Thanks to Jo’s themed month, I recently looked Deborah Hautzig up online and found her own moving story on her website. She says:

"Three weeks after I finished writing Second Star to the Right, in September of 1980, at the age of 23, I collapsed on the street and cracked my head open... I am 5’6” tall and weighed 88lbs. I’d had a severe concussion and needed seven stitches. The cause of my fainting was an electrolyte imbalance, the result of excessive vomiting, laxative abuse and starvation. I was terrified. I was contrite. I vowed never to abuse my body again."

You can read the rest of this account on her website.

Deborah Hautzig's book, and many others like it, show some of the extremes of distorted body image. But when I considered possible suggestions for Jo's month, I also wondered about books that represented a side of this topic that we all encounter, often on a daily basis. There’s a popular culture emphasis on being a certain, "correct" size or shape, and I am occasionally worried by novels where characters lose weight, or gain curves, or otherwise change body shape or size in the course of a story, and these bodily changes become instrumental to their happiness at the end of the book. Whereas I'm sure readers are sophisticated enough to recognise this as pure fantasy when they read it, it still bothers me.

So I thought about novels that definitely don't push the idea that people should change to conform to a socially-accepted norm in order to be happy, and a fantastic example of this sprang to mind immediately. In Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell, the main character is happy to be the size she is, and this aspect of her doesn’t change as the story progresses. This novel is not "about" body image, really, but it has a wonderful, subtle and original take on self-acceptance throughout, and I highly recommend it.

I also thought of a comment a teenaged reviewer once made about one of my own books, Extreme Kissing, and I hope it's OK to mention it here: "Carlota is described as a size 16, but everyone still finds her beautiful which shows it doesn't matter what size you are which automatically makes this a book where you feel good about yourself." - from Dragonfly Reviews. I was over the moon to read that a teenager had seen this in my book.

Issues of self-acceptance and body image can be vital in adolescence... and beyond. I'd like to thank Jo very much for her themed month on Once Upon a Bookcase, and I'm really looking forward to joining in with the discussions and comments as much as possible.



Thank you so much for such a great post and for sharing your thoughts on the topic, Luisa! It's very thought provoking! What do you think about what Luisa has said?

Continue reading Guest Post: Luisa's Thoughts

Review: Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the first book, Split by a Kiss. Do not read any further if you plan on reading Split and don't want to be spoiled.

I wish I wasn't myself anymore.
I wish I was her.
I wish I was Jo.

Rachel hates her life. Wen her on/off boyfriend David goes to a music festival, she decides to surprise him - but she gets a shock of her own. Not only does she find David kissing someone else, but it's their friend Jo! Super-lovely, super-loved, all-round perfect Jo.
Rachel runs away, wishing she could leave her life behind - and she suddenly finds herself in Jo's body! Can she keep this swap a secret? Can she unravel what's really going on? Can she get to grips with Jo's out-of-control curly hair?
And if she discovers that being in someone else's shoes isn't all it's cracked up to be, can she ever be herself again? From the back of the book.

As most of you will know, I am a huge Luisa Plaja fan. I loved Split by a Kiss, the first in this duology, so when I was offered the chance to review Swapped by a Kiss, I jumped at the chance! And just as I expected, I loved it!

Swapped starts a few months after Split ends. Jo is with Albie, Tori is friends with Jo now instead of the popular gang, and most importantly Rachel is with David. Ish. With her fiery personality and raging jealousy, arguments are common between the two of them. One such fight happens before David goes to England for a festival, but when Rachel decides to surprise him by turning up at the festival, he finds him kissing Jo.

Jo splitting in two in the first book was just awesome. Following her down two different paths at the same time was awesome, but watching Rachel in Jo's body, trying to be British and nice was just genius! I didn't really relate all that much to Rachel, as she's hugely into graphic novels, comics and superheroes - not really my bag. But I sympathised with her and her situation. Not only are the guys in Rachel-Rachel's and Rachel-Jo's life "dastards", but there are more serious issues running through the book; identity and self-image.

Before the swap took place, it was heart breaking to read Rachel's thoughts about herself, and about Jo. What it says above in the blurb, "Super-lovely, super-loved, all-round perfect Jo," is exactly what Rachel thinks of her, where as she describes herself as "oversized". She believes she's a nightmare, and if she was Jo, she wouldn't have to deal with the crap going on in her life, and everyone would like her better - especially David. It's just awful having to read about Rachel's low self-esteem and her other issues, and not being able to give her a hug. It's really sad!

However, this is not to say Swapped is hard, emotional reading. Swapped is quite a light, humourous read, and pretty fun. The scrapes Rachel gets herself into in Jo's body are just hilarious. Attempting to use British words, and make up fake swear words - because that's what British people do - is cause for much laughter. Jo's diary entries of conversations she has with Rachel's mum, while pretending to be angry, unkind, and American are also hilarious.

All in all, a great quick, light, fun read that touches on some serious subjects. This would make such a good beach read! I loved it, and I so hope there is going to be another story about these characters. Maybe involving one of the boys this time!

Thanks to Random House for sending me a review copy.

Published: 29th April 2010
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on The Book Depository - free international shipping
Luisa Plaja's Website

My review of Split by a Kiss

Other Reviews:
So Many Books, So Little Time
The Book Sloth
I Was a Teenage Book Geek

Continue reading Review: Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

News: Luisa Plaja's Live Webchat on Fiercebook TODAY!

I'm very sorry for the lack of anything from me over the last few days. I'm suffering from a migraine and being on the computer makes it worse. So I'm sorry to everyone who's blog has been without comment, email without reply, and general presence in the blogosphere. Hopefully I'll be back soon.

I had to come on quickly, though, to let you all know that wonderful YA author Luisa Plaja will be having a live webchat on Fiercebook, the Random House YA Facebook group, today. Head on over to Fiercebook at 5pm GMT for an hour to chat with Luisa about "books, writing, romance and body swapping" - as said in the email I received from Random House. For more info on the webchat, check out the Fiercebook Event info. Unfortunately, because of my head, I won't be taking part in the webchat (Sorry, Luisa!), so make sure you do! Not only are Luisa's novels amazing (currently reading Swapped by a Kiss - well, I was before the migraine - and it's brilliant so far!), she's also a lovely lady! Go get chatting! :)

Continue reading News: Luisa Plaja's Live Webchat on Fiercebook TODAY!

News: Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja is Released Today!

You all probably know by now of my huge love for Luisa Plaja and her amazing novels! Well, I have some great news! Swapped by a Kiss, Luisa's third novel, the sequel to Split by a Kiss, is released today!

Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

Rachel hates her life and everyone in it - she even has suspicions that her on/off boyfriend David might not be entirely trustworthy. However, when David invites her to a music festival in England featuring their friend's band, she jumps at the chance for an overseas adventure. Hoping to surprise David, Rachel arrives at the festival early, where she runs into a nasty surprise of her own - she sees David kissing their friend Jo. Distraught, Rachel runs off, wishing she could leave her life behind...the next thing she knows, she's back with David. But not as herself...She's now in Jo's body! Can she keep the swap a secret from David until she can work out exactly what's going on and get her revenge? Over the course of a very weird weekend, Rachel puts herself in someone else's shoes and finds that her own maybe weren't as uncomfortable as she'd always thought. But can she ever be herself again? From Amazon UK

I was lucky enough to have won a contest on The Sweet Bonjour for any book by Luisa, and so I received a signed copy of Swapped today! I am so excited to read it! Make sure you get your hands on a copy! All links go to The Book Depository, which has free world wide shipping.

Buy Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja
Buy any book by Luisa Plaja

Read my review of the first book in the series, Split by a Kiss.
Read my interview with Luisa about Swapped by a Kiss.

Continue reading News: Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja is Released Today!

Interview with Luisa Plaja

I'm very fortunate to be able to present to you today an interview with wonder YA author, Luisa Plaja! Luisa, who is the author of Split by a Kiss, Extreme Kissing, and Swapped by a Kiss which will be released 29th April, and the editor of the awesome YA book review blog, Chicklish, answered some questions on Swapped by a Kiss to give us a bit of a taster of what's to come.

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions about your next release, Luisa! Swapped by a Kiss is the sequel to Split by a Kiss. Can you please tell us a little about it?

Thanks for having me here! OK... In Swapped by a Kiss, the focus is on Rachel, Jo's friend from Split by a Kiss. She leaves her Boston home to surprise her on/off boyfriend David at a British music festival - but she's the one who gets the surprise when she sees him kissing Jo in a dance tent. Rachel has always been jealous of Jo, and she runs away, wishing she could actually be Jo instead of being herself. And then she finds herself back in the dance tent with David – and she’s in Jo's body.

In Split, Jo becomes two versions of herself, each making opposite choices when Jo has to make a decision, and in Swapped, Rachel and Jo swap bodies. How did these storylines come to you?

I didn't set out to write the 'split' in Split by a Kiss - it happened as I was writing. I'd started a book about British/American culture shock, but when I reached the 'kissing a hot boy in a cupboard' scene, I realised Jo's recent experiences could have changed her. I thought she might react in two completely different ways depending on how much she'd decided to adapt to her new friends, and I wanted to try out both reactions, which meant sending my character in two different directions. Then I followed her down each path.

As I wrote Split by a Kiss, I knew there was a lot more I wanted to say about the prickly, outspoken, misunderstood character of Rachel. Her story kept brewing after I completed the book, and I realised that a body swap between Rachel and Jo would be the perfect way to explore Rachel's issues. It fits perfectly because Rachel isn't comfortable in her own skin, because she’s not-so-secretly jealous of Jo - and also because Jo mentions in Split by a Kiss that one of her favourite films is Freaky Friday!

Split by a Kiss has been compared to the movie Sliding Doors by many people, including myself. From reading the summary of Swapped by a Kiss, it’s easy to guess people may make comparisons between the books and the many versions of the movie Freaky Friday. Does it bother you that people do, and may, make these comparisons? Were you inspired by either movie when writing the books?

It doesn't bother me at all - I'd make the comparisons myself! Anyway, no story exists in a vacuum - every single one is influenced by other stories. I think I'm possibly more inspired by books than films, though, in general. Freaky Friday was definitely part of the inspiration for Swapped by a Kiss, but I tend to think of the original Mary Rodgers novel rather than the three movie versions. I read that book hundreds of times as a child! I have seen Sliding Doors, but again I think books were a bigger inspiration for Split by a Kiss - for example, when I started writing it, I'd recently read Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, the non-fiction book that later inspired the movie Mean Girls. Another book that has always stuck in my mind is one I read when I was a teenager myself: Her Living Image by Jane Rogers. In that book, aimed at adults, a character splits into parallel lives after being hit by a car - or not. There's a crucial difference between the premise of this story (and that of Sliding Doors) and Split by a Kiss, though - Jo's split doesn't happen by chance. She makes a deliberate decision that takes her down two different paths. Where the Sliding Doors story might be shaped by fate and destiny, Jo's story is about the intentional steps she takes due to her wavering sense of identity and self-worth. (Oh, and it’s a comedy!)

With Split, you fell back on your own experiences when writing about Jo, a British girl, living in America. In Swapped, Rachel, one of Jo’s American friends, is narrating the story of her visiting Jo in England. Was it harder for you write about Rachel’s experiences of England than Jo’s experiences of America?

I don't think I had any trouble seeing England as an outsider - I've had a mixed upbringing and England wasn't the first country I lived in. I know a bit about culture shock! I did struggle with Rachel's vocabulary at first, though. In an effort to get it exactly right, I started off being very careful not to let Rachel use a single British idiom. At one stage, I was trawling the internet for every other phrase Rachel used, making sure it had been uttered by someone in the USA at some point. It was taking ages! Then I remembered that Rachel was heavily influenced by being close friends with half-British David for years - in fact, she'd always deliberately copied his language. After that, I relaxed and Rachel's voice came naturally to me.
Do you have any plans to continue writing with these characters? Can we look forward to a third book? And have you decided on a name for this duology, or perhaps – at least – trilogy?

I call them "the kiss books" to myself - but that includes Extreme Kissing which, as you know, is a standalone. I don't know yet whether there will be more books about the Split by a Kiss characters. I always have lots of juicy ideas keeping me up at night, though!

What can we look forward to reading by you next?

I should have another book out in 2011. It should feature a teenage heroine, comedy, romance and possibly some magic. That's all I can say at the moment!

Thank you very much for these really great questions, Jo! It's been a pleasure to be interviewed by you.

Thank you for letting me interview you! So what are you waiting for, pre-order Swapped by a Kiss from The Book Depository now! If you've not yet read the first in the series, you can also buy Split by a Kiss, as well as Luisa's stand alone novel, Extreme Kissing, from The Book Depository, both of which I highly recommend.

Continue reading Interview with Luisa Plaja

Author Appreciation Week: Luisa Plaja

Luisa Plaja



Yesterday, I talked about how it was Stephenie Meyer who opened my eyes to YA novels. Well, that's only partially true. Stephenie paved the way, but Luisa went far beyond the the call of duty as author when it came to me discovering YA. Stephenie Meyer came along, and I started reading YA urban fantasies and paranormal romances, but Luisa introduced me to the other genres of YA.

Not only is Luisa an amazing author - I surely don't need to gush about how much I love Split by a Kiss and Extreme Kissing, you probably know just how much I love them by now - but she's also a huge supporter of people reading in general. Sex in Teen Lit Month only started because of conversations I had with Luisa by email, after a discussion post I had on Ink and Paper. The idea for me to look more closely at how YA in general - rather than YA fantasy, which I was referring to on Ink and Paper - came through talking to Luisa about how books deal with it, and she helped me with the month in so many ways. She suggested books I could read, she included her own thoughts on books she had read, she posted about it on an author website she's a member of, to see if any authors would be interested in taking part, she even used her blogging budget to send me some books to review for it. And since then, we have become email buddies.

But that's just how she's helped me, but she does a lot for other readers too. Luisa is the editor of the popular YA book review blog, Chicklish, where she reviews and has other younger readers review a fair amount of British YA books. She is a regular commenter among the YA blogging community, being incredibly supportive and putting in her two pennies worth in reading discussions. Luisa is also an assistant in a monthly teen book club in her own area. Luisa is just awesome!

If it wasn't for Luisa, I would be missing out on so many YA novels outside of the fantasy genre and Once Upon a Bookcase wouldn't exist, because she was the one who encouraged me to pick up others - and still recommends books to me. She's also already been a huge help in kick starting Body Image and Self-Perception Month, and I'm sure she'll continue to help me and other readers as the years go by, because that's just how brilliant she is. Luisa is more than deserving of my appreciation, and many others too.

Continue reading Author Appreciation Week: Luisa Plaja

News: Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja Cover Unveiled!

Let me tell you something about me; when I was a teenager, I was a big fan of the colour purple. Every shade of purple. Pretty much every item (bar jeans) in my wardrobe was some shade of purple - mainly lilac. I know, a little over the topped, but I just loved. Now an adult, my fave colours are black, purple, and silver. There's a lot more colour to my wardrobe now though.

Back to the news. Luisa Plaja's Swapped by a Kiss cover:

Blurb:
I wish I wasn't myself anymore.

I wish I was her.

I wish I was Jo.

Rachel hates her life.

When her on/off boyfriend David goes to a music festival in England, she jumps on a plane to surprise him - but she gets a shock of her own. Not only does she find David kissing someone else, but it's their friend Jo! Super-lovely, super-loved, all-round-perfect Jo.

Rachel runs away, wishing she could leave her life behind - and she suddenly finds herself in Jo's body! Can she keep this swap a secret? Can she unravel what's really going on? Can she get to grips with Jo's out-of-control curly hair?

And if she discovers that being in someone else's shoes isn't all it's cracked up to be, can she ever be herself again? From Luisa's website.

You know, I get why Rachel wants to be me, I am pretty awesome! I kid, I kid!

BUT LOOK AT THAT COVER! I believe I see PURPLE... and there's some black and silver (could be grey, but lets not get specific) there too! This make's Jo a happy girl! This Jo, me, not character Jo. And it's so pretty! And, well, it's a novel by Luisa Plaja, which means it's automatically going to be amazing, and it's a sequel to Split by a Kiss, so it's going to be amazing twice! I'm sorry, all this purple is bringing out the little girl in me.

I say that cover should be a t-shirt!

For those who'd like to see the cover the other way round, to see Rachel and Jo swapped round (see what I did there?), here you go:





And you know, I think this cover may catch the eyes of the target audience a little more than the previous two covers - it fits in with the covers of Luisa's other novels (see below), but I think it also looks a little maturer. This is all good! I loves it! I can't wait to read it, and I can't get over how pretty it is!



Click images for a larger view.

I can't wait for this book!

P.S. I've not seen this cover for Extreme Kissing before, but I like it too!



Click for a larger view.

ETA: I've been told that the above cover was actually the original cover for Extreme Kissing, before they changed it to the one we all know.

My reviews:
Split by a Kiss
Extreme Kissing

Luisa Plaja's Website

Continue reading News: Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja Cover Unveiled!

Book Signing: Luisa Plaja and T. M. Alexander in Exeter

Luisa Plaja, author of Split by a Kiss and Extreme Kissing, will be doing another book signing with author T. M. Alexander, author of Tribe series, and offering book-buying advice at Waterstone's in Exeter during a special Christmas Shopping Evening! Details below.

What?
Children's Authors' Roadshow South West:
Christmas Shopping Evening/Book Signing
Who?
Luisa Plaja & T. M. Alexander
When?
Thursday 26th November 2009, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
Where?
WATERSTONE'S EXETER ROMAN GATE
252 High Street,
Exeter,
EX4 3PZ,
tel. 01392 423044

If you can get there, make sure you go! It's going to be a great event!

Continue reading Book Signing: Luisa Plaja and T. M. Alexander in Exeter

Author Signing: Luisa Plaja and Elen Caldecott in Exeter

I was nosing around on Luisa Plaja's website hoping to find any news on her next novel (Swapped by a Kiss, April 2010), when I found some great news for thos in the South West!

On Thursday 19th November, at the Children's Author's Roadshow Sout West, Luisa, along with Carnegie-longlisted author Elen Caldecott, will be signing books and giving book-buying advice at Waterstone's in Exeter (UK), during a special Christmas shopping evening.

So here are all the details:

What?
Christmas Shopping Evening/Book Signing with Elen Caldecott and Luisa Plaja
Where?
Waterstone's Exeter Roman Gate
252 High Street,
Exeter,
EX4 3PZ,
Tel. 01392 423044
When?
Thursday 19th November 2009
6:00PM - 7:30PM

I am extremely jealous of you Exeterians (I don't know if that's a word - if it isn't, it should be)! I have yet to meet Luisa, but I know she is a seriously lovely lady! I would so be there if I could, even though I'm lucky enough to already own signed copies.

If you can, you must go!

Continue reading Author Signing: Luisa Plaja and Elen Caldecott in Exeter

Review: Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja - When her mother gets a job in the USA, Jo goes with her. It’s America, of course she’s going! But what she doesn’t expect is to become two different people. During a game of seven minutes in heaven, Jo is picked by the hottest guy in school, and something weird happens while they’re in the closet; Jo is at a fork in the road and can take two paths – so she splits, and takes both. Josie the Cool, friends with the it girls and girlfriend of Jake Matthews, and Jo the Nerd, social outcast and friends with the “freaks” live very separate lives, but will they manage to become one person again?

W-o-w! Well, if I loved Luisa’s other book, Extreme Kissing, then I adored Split by a Kiss! I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this book, or how annoyed with myself I am that I read the whole book so quickly! It was too good!

Compared to Extreme Kissing, I would say Split by a Kiss is a more grown up book, with more references to sex, but also in the issues covered; friendship, loyalty, and most importantly, being true to yourself. I enjoyed this book for several reasons, but one of the main ones was that I related to Jo so much – not in what she does, or experiences, but in how she feels, and what she likes. I was Jo the Nerd at school, I knew exactly how she felt like a loner, and more, like not wearing make-up much, and not wearing designer clothes (on principle mostly, they cost far too much!). But unlike this Jo, I never tried to fit in. Jo does try, and she tries real hard, and as upsetting as it is to read, she learns invaluable lessons along the way.

What was great about this book, also, was how believable Luisa’s writing was, because it was spot on. I have this preconceived idea that American authors write “American” books, and British authors write “British” books, but aren’t able to do the other. Luisa corrected my thought. The teenagers in this book are just as American as they are in books by American authors. There’s no over use of cheesy, stereotypical American phrases, or any stereotypes, but Jo sticks out for being British. I suppose it helps that Luisa has actually lived in America.

This book would make a great film; think Mean Girls or perhaps Never Been Kissed, but with a British girl. I’ve never seen it, but I’ve always been told I would like Sliding Doors, and from what I’ve heard of it, Split by a Kiss is like that two – but at school.

I love how Jo talks about the differences between America and the UK, from language right down to plug sockets. It was cute. I also loved the fact that a band was involved; put a band or a musician in a book, and I am going to love it – guys with musical talent? I’m sold.

What I loved most though, was what Jo learnt about herself; who she is, what she wants, and forgetting about everyone else. Both paths Jo takes have their fair amount of problems, and the ending of the book, how the story was resolved, was just awesome!

There’s one thing about the book I’m not so keen on though; the cover. It’s cute, it’s girly, it implies a fluffy, cute story for the younger end of the YA range. In my opinion, I think it’s a cover that would be overlooked by older teenagers, which would be a terrible mistake. There is so much more to this book, and so much any reader could get out of it, and I think the cover overlooks all this.

However, Split by a Kiss is a truly amazing book, and I am so glad there is going to be a sequel! I can’t wait to find out what happens with Jo next!

Thank you to Luisa Plaja for sending me a review copy.

Published: 2008
Publisher: Corgi
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on The Book Depository – free international postage
Luisa Plaja’s Website

Other reviews:
Bookster Reviews

Continue reading Review: Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

It's Monday! What are You Reading? (1)

So as Ink and Paper Specials has become a permanent YA blog - with a brand new name, Once Upon a Bookcase (and url http://onceuponabookcase.blogspot.com/), I thought I should get a few memes up on here!

So for the first one, I'm taking part in It's Monday! What are You Reading?, a meme run by J. Kaye's Book Blog which discusses which books will be read this week, and the ones that were read last week.

Last week I read an urban fantasy for Ink and Paper - I've been pretty busy lately, so it's taken me a while to read.

This week I hope to be reading:
Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja.

As I'm running two blogs that deal with different genres - with some crossovers - I'm aiming for a book for each blog, and because I'm pretty busy, I don't want to commit to too many.

What are you reading this week?

Continue reading It's Monday! What are You Reading? (1)

Winners of Extreme Kissing by Luisa Plaja

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest! There were four entrants who earned 14 entries, and Randomizer.org picked:

1 Set of 2 Unique Numbers Per Set
Range: From 1 to 14 -- Sorted from Least to Greatest

Set #1:
3, 7

And the winners are:

#3: Tumble
&
#7: Anna

Congratulations! I've sent you both emails asking for your mailing address, which I'll pass on to Luisa Plaja so she can get the books to you. If you don't reply within 48 hours, two new winners will be picked.

Thanks again to everyone who entered, and thanks to Luisa for asking me to host this contest!

ETA: Unfortunately, Anna hasn't replied to the email, so a new winner was picked. Congratulations to Shesten, aka I Heart Monster! I have sent you an email asking for your mailing address. Please get it back to me ASAP, so I can pass it on to Luisa. Cheers!

Continue reading Winners of Extreme Kissing by Luisa Plaja

Interview with Luisa Plaja

The absolutely wonderful Luisa Plaja, author of Extreme Kissing - and the wonderful lady who helped me come up with the idea for Sex in Teen Lit Month, and prepare for it - has been kind enough to answer some questions about her novel and the subject in general.

How did you come up with the idea for Extreme Kissing?

It was a combination of a few things. There was an article I read about people who travel the world, choosing destinations at random. There was my love of teenage magazines. And then there were two characters who popped into my head – girls who seemed at face value to be at opposite extremes in almost every possible way, but who really got on. I wanted to bring everything together into a random road trip adventure for teenage girls.

Extreme Kissing is quite a thought-provoking book when it comes to teenage pregnancy and the attitudes towards teenage promiscuity. Was it your intention to send out a message on these topics? Why?

No, I didn’t set out to send out any messages, but I did want to reflect reality. I wanted to look at attitudes to risk-taking and safety, in all its forms, and one of these was in the girls’ attitudes to sex. Bethany is, in her words, ‘a good girl – well, mostly’. She spends her life pleasing people and being ‘safe and sensible’, and she even follows all the ‘rules’ when it comes to sleeping with her boyfriend: she’s in a long-term relationship, she’s over 16, she uses contraception. Carlota is far more reckless in all things, she’d define herself as a risk-taker and she positively cultivates her ‘bad girl’ image, for her own reasons. I tried to describe two different attitudes to sexual behaviour in the context of the way it’s seen by people other than the girls themselves.

There’s possibly one message that I hope could radiate lightly from all the books I’ve written, though, and that’s something along the lines of ‘even if you make a mistake, it doesn’t have to mean the end of the world – you have the strength to deal with it’.

When Bethany is worrying about whether she’s pregnant or not, she doesn’t really consider the options she has if she is pregnant. Was there a reason you didn’t go down that route?

Extreme Kissing is a novel that’s set all in one day. I don’t think issues like that would necessarily come up at first for anyone who starts to suspect an unwanted pregnancy. I think the early reaction would undoubtedly be some form of denial. During the course of the day, Bethany swings between torturing herself with the possibility of pregnancy and forgetting about it completely, depending on what’s going on. I also think that really, deep down, Bethany has a fair idea of the truth right from the start, but she’s too caught up in her thoughts to let herself believe it – until she’s ready.

For the most part, you seem to steer clear from bringing up the subject of contraception in the novel. Did you not want the novel to seem too preachy?

Ah, I have to say that I thought I’d accompanied most mentions of sex with mentions of condoms... I’m glad it didn’t seem heavy-handed, then!

Carlota goes on an unexpected personal journey as the book progresses, and has some realisations. Before those realisations hit, was there a psychological reason behind Carlota’s behaviour and attitude towards boys, or is Carlota generally just a flirty person?

Well, Carlota is definitely a flirty person! I think, as with everything, it’s probably a combination of nature and nurture. Against her will, she has moved country twice in her life before the novel starts – once to Brussels and once to London. Both times she has left behind people she loves (her grandmother in Spain, and Yves in Brussels). She’s the kind of person who’d put a brave face on it, though, and just cope, and she certainly wouldn’t want any fuss made of her. She’d rather be seen as strong and a fighter, which is one reason she relishes her reputation and works hard to keep it going. She’s also a bit of an attention-seeker, of course, which isn’t helped by the fact that she feels pushed out at home.

Carlota puts a lot of trust in what is written in her favourite mag, ‘Teen Spice!’ What are your views on teenage magazines today in regards to what they say about sex?

I think the messages are responsible, on the whole – there’s definitely an emphasis on waiting until you’re ready, and using protection. Maybe there’s a slight danger that they give off an ‘everybody’s doing it so you should do it too, right now’ message, but I think that comes far more strongly from society as a whole, and actually teenage magazines often try to redress that in their problem pages. I love the way problem pages don’t criticise girls for having a sex drive, though. I think that’s important. I’m sorry to say that before the launch of J17 in the eighties, I think they did. Pre-J17, I think many teenage magazines either avoided the subject altogether as if it didn’t exist, or they gave off the message: ‘don’t even go there’. I think this ignores the fact that people might actually want to go there, and there’s a danger of making girls feel bad about natural feelings – feelings that boys, in turn, are encouraged to have and act on. I definitely prefer the more realistic attitude of today’s teenage magazines.

There weren’t any actual sex scenes in the novel. Was that because it didn’t fit in with the characters and the plot, or because you chose not to include any?

Bethany and Declan’s first time together was an explicit scene in the original first draft. It didn’t quite fit the story any more by the later drafts, and so I deleted it.

What’s your opinion of how YA novels are dealing with the topic of sex?

Most YA novels are wonderfully realistic, honest and thought-provoking on this topic, without moralising. There are some fantastic examples of this on your list.

Do you think there is a limit on what should be covered in YA novels?

No, I really don’t think so. I think it’s very important not to underestimate readers.

What books did you read as a teenager, and how well do you think they dealt with talking about sex?

Well, in terms of ‘explicit’ books, there was Forever by Judy Blume, and Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews. Both of these got passed around at school when I was about 12. The Virginia Andrews book was very entertaining but not exactly a healthy depiction of sex. (For those who don’t know, it describes an incestuous relationship between a brother and sister who are forced to live in a confined space together.) Let’s just say I think it’s great that there’s such a wide range of fiction available today! Though I’m not criticising Forever, which I think is a wonderful novel. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed its influence on contemporary teenage fiction, with titles such as Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky (dedicated to Judy Blume) and A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone (where Judy Blume’s Forever is instrumental to the story). I do wonder whether any boy since the release of Forever has been named Ralph...

I read all types of books when I was a teenager, though, including ‘bonkbuster’ style books by authors like Jackie Collins that featured lots of raunchy stuff, and horror novels like Carrie by Stephen King (a YA novel in disguise if ever I read one!) I also read sweet teenage romance novels, and plenty of them. They were great fun but very ‘clean’, some possibly to a fault – you could spot the ‘bad girls’ a mile off, and they’d be most likely to ‘go too far’. I don’t remember the boys involved ever being accused of the same ‘crime’. The double standard is still alive, of course, and still written about, but I think in the past it was sometimes perpetuated in novels, and nowadays I believe it’s nearly always highlighted in a critical way. This makes me happy.

What do you think about parents not allowing their teenagers to read novels with a certain sexual content?

I would never criticise anyone’s beliefs on this subject. However, I don’t agree with any form of book banning. I also believe that the world of Young Adult fiction is a wonderfully safe place to learn about sex and sexuality, to satisfy curiosity and to explore some of the issues surrounding these topics.

Anything else you wish to add/discuss?

I did want to add that when I first discussed the list of possible titles for this event with you, I accidentally omitted a trilogy that I think was ground-breaking in the world of UK teen fiction when it was first released in the 90s. The trilogy that starts with Diving In by Kate Cann was unique at the time in its depiction of a sexual relationship between teenagers without nasty, terrible consequences and/or glamorous sensationalism. I’d urge everyone interested in this topic (or everyone who likes a good book!) to read this series, and also to read what Kate Cann says on her website on the subject of sex in Diving In, which has recently been updated and re-released.

Also, I’d love to thank you very, very much for holding this month and all these great discussions!

Well, thank you for all your help, and for the awesome interview. Do any of you have any questions for Luisa? If so, ask! Luisa will be popping over to answer any further questions you guys may have, so get typing!

Continue reading Interview with Luisa Plaja

Review: Extreme Kissing by Luisa Plaja

Extreme Kissing by Luisa Plaja - It’s GCSE year, and Bethany is feeling the pressure. She missed the last two days of school because she was ill, and any last minute revision. If that wasn’t bad enough, her long term boyfriend Declan hasn’t phoned her and has been ignoring her texts, and her calendar tells Bethany her period is late. The only person she can really talk to is her BFF Carlota.

Carlota, a wild child, thinks Bethany stresses far too much, and knowing that she has some awful news to tell Bethany, that her boyfriend has cheated on her, she tries to distract her best friend. She has a mad day of Extreme Travelling planned for them both. Along with the help of several issues of her favourite magazine, she hopes a day full of random challenges that takes them all across London, including silent raving to hijacking a tour bus, will calm Bethany down, give her an awesome day she’ll never forget, and it make it easier to tell Bethany about Declan.

Does Bethany have the courage to face her fears and say them out loud? Can Carlota tell Bethany, and risk hurting her? And does Carlota have another reason for wanting to go to London?

I cannot tell you just how brilliant this book is! I thought I would enjoy it, but I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was. Several times I was laughing out loud so hard, my Dad told me to shut up. It’s just hilarious, but also very moving, seeing the friendship between these two girls, and how much they care about each other. Although the day of Extreme Travelling is supposed to be about light hearted challenges, it also holds emotional challenges for both girls, as they learn about themselves, and have to come to terms with things that are happening in their lives.

Sex isn’t the main focus of this book, but it’s an underlying theme. Bethany is terrified of the idea that she might be pregnant, and what that will mean for her future. Carlota, very confident and flirty, was kicked out of her previous school for being caught with a boy in the lab – what they get up to isn’t gone into in detail. She also has rumours about her going through the school, and gives her kisses to many guys freely. The girls both mention “Kisses Etcetera”, a self-explanatory term created by Carlota of which she is a fan. There are also mentions of Boy Snaring lessons, which Carlota gave to Bethany which led to her being with Declan. There is also the briefest hint of peer-pressure when it comes to sex mentioned in the book, too, as is virginity.

I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone who hasn’t read it yet, but the way Bethany’s possible pregnancy is dealt with is just awesome. Her fears were very real; they weren’t glossed over, but portrayed realistically, without blowing them out of proportion, and I found myself empathising with her in her worry. There is a whole conversation about being safe during sex in the book, but there isn’t too much mention of the precautions someone could take, or the options she would take if it does turn out she’s pregnant. Bethany was very much focusing on “Am I, am I not?” – when she was thinking about it – as opposed to what she might do if she is, like she couldn’t even think that far ahead.

When the girls end up bumping into an ex of Carlota’s, Yves, there is some focus on choice for Carlota in terms of how far she takes things with him. Again, I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone, so I won’t go into much detail, but there is a point where she has to seriously look at the situation, and at what she wants, and ask herself some serious questions.

Again, sex isn’t the main focus of the book, but the aspects of it that are in there are dealt with so well, highlighting the questions, the emotions, the fears the girls go through so realistically and maturely, it’s admirable. As hilarious as the book was, it was also very moving and poignant and in some places trying to read. I wish this book had been around when I was younger, and will be forcing it on my cousin ;) An amazing book, one everyone should pick up! Now, who wants to go Extreme Travelling with me?

Thank you to Luisa Plaja for sending me a review copy.

Published: 2009
Publisher: Corgi Books
Buy on Amazon UK
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Luisa Plaja’s website

Other Reviews on Extreme Kissing:
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So Many Books, So Litte Time
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Maljolein Book Blog

Shooting Stars Mag

Continue reading Review: Extreme Kissing by Luisa Plaja